Catherine says:
We have a rather extensive collection of photographs that I have still to upload to flickr. I anticipate this will be finalised over the next fortnight, so for those of you who have expressed disappointment that there will be no more postings from La France, please rest assured that there will be new photos uploaded each day for your viewing pleasure. Just click on this link.
P.S. A new travel blog, detailing my upcoming travels to Landet av Vikinger, geit ost og fiskeboller is up at Go The Norway.
Tuesday, 24 June 2014
Monday, 23 June 2014
A journey over but a new one beginning
Catherine says:
The Little Mother and I have now returned to Australia. Our wonderful month in France is but a memory, but one that we hold dear and close to our hearts. It was the experience of a life time and I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to share this with my darling mother – my best friend, my confidante, my Clayton’s big sister (that is, the big sister you have when you really don’t have a big sister). We were inspired, awestruck, enthralled, mesmerised, captivated and spellbound by all that we saw. And we laughed endlessly!
I know that this journey – although over – is really just the beginning of a bigger one. The past month has changed my philosophy on life, shown me opportunities I had never considered and reaffirmed that life is not about finding oneself, but about creating oneself. But the most important thing is that I shared all of this with my mother and created a story with her: a tale interwoven with laughter, love, good food (and the occasional good wine!), amazing sights and new friends.
So I will not say au revoir to La France, because my love affair with her has just begun and I know it will not be long before I return to the land that has captured my heart and soul and brought me so much joy and happiness.
The Little Mother and I have now returned to Australia. Our wonderful month in France is but a memory, but one that we hold dear and close to our hearts. It was the experience of a life time and I am so blessed that I had the opportunity to share this with my darling mother – my best friend, my confidante, my Clayton’s big sister (that is, the big sister you have when you really don’t have a big sister). We were inspired, awestruck, enthralled, mesmerised, captivated and spellbound by all that we saw. And we laughed endlessly!
I know that this journey – although over – is really just the beginning of a bigger one. The past month has changed my philosophy on life, shown me opportunities I had never considered and reaffirmed that life is not about finding oneself, but about creating oneself. But the most important thing is that I shared all of this with my mother and created a story with her: a tale interwoven with laughter, love, good food (and the occasional good wine!), amazing sights and new friends.
So I will not say au revoir to La France, because my love affair with her has just begun and I know it will not be long before I return to the land that has captured my heart and soul and brought me so much joy and happiness.
Tuesday, 17 June 2014
Day 27: Monet's garden
Margot says:
Today we took a tour to Giverny in the company of four others, including Helene from Sydney, a French couple and a young Japanese couple.
Our driver Paul, a gifted linguist, spoke Spanish, English, French and Italian. He hails from Peru and lived for some years in Italy and London but for the past 15 years he has lived in France.
We had a wonderful day exploring the gardens that were beyond my wildest dreams! From lilies to roses to poppies to bluebells to foxgloves, not to forget the wonderful waterlilies. Catherine and I were snap happy (not to be confused with "snappy chappy"!). When we have time we will upload some of the gorgeous photographs we took.
We spent the last couple of hours today packing our suitcases in preparation for our departure tomorrow. Although we don't fly out until 9:50pm we need to check out of the hotel by 12pm. It will be a quiet afternoon as I will be strapped into my flight paraphernalia for legs and arms (to combat DVT as per my doctor's instructions).
I can't wait to get home and catch up with family and friends. It has been a wonderful experience and Catherine has been a wonderful travelling companion and spoiled me rotten.
The blog will be updated considerably when we arrive back in Melbourne. We have many more tales to tell and photographs to share. Eventually, when the blog is finalised Catherine will arrange for a hard copy to be printed and bound for me as a reminder of our French travels.
Bon soir mes amies!
Today we took a tour to Giverny in the company of four others, including Helene from Sydney, a French couple and a young Japanese couple.
Our driver Paul, a gifted linguist, spoke Spanish, English, French and Italian. He hails from Peru and lived for some years in Italy and London but for the past 15 years he has lived in France.
We had a wonderful day exploring the gardens that were beyond my wildest dreams! From lilies to roses to poppies to bluebells to foxgloves, not to forget the wonderful waterlilies. Catherine and I were snap happy (not to be confused with "snappy chappy"!). When we have time we will upload some of the gorgeous photographs we took.
We spent the last couple of hours today packing our suitcases in preparation for our departure tomorrow. Although we don't fly out until 9:50pm we need to check out of the hotel by 12pm. It will be a quiet afternoon as I will be strapped into my flight paraphernalia for legs and arms (to combat DVT as per my doctor's instructions).
I can't wait to get home and catch up with family and friends. It has been a wonderful experience and Catherine has been a wonderful travelling companion and spoiled me rotten.
The blog will be updated considerably when we arrive back in Melbourne. We have many more tales to tell and photographs to share. Eventually, when the blog is finalised Catherine will arrange for a hard copy to be printed and bound for me as a reminder of our French travels.
Bon soir mes amies!
Moulin de la Ville
Catherine says:
We are a bit behind in our blog posting and although we're now up to Day 27 (our 3rd day in Paris), I wanted to share with you some of our photos of our lovely stay at Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord.
...our bedroom...
We are a bit behind in our blog posting and although we're now up to Day 27 (our 3rd day in Paris), I wanted to share with you some of our photos of our lovely stay at Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord.
...our bedroom...
Monday, 16 June 2014
Day 26: The Louvre
Catherine says:
Below is a selection of photographs I took at the Louvre. First up is the Little Mother, albeit a little windblown:
...next we have another humorous example of Chinglish which I found on the backpack of the tourist queuing in front of me as we went through security checks (apologies for the blur, he kept moving!)...
"following me enjoy the time in spring. with you appreciate to read it. little sheep, keep company with you bathing in the beautiful scenery."
...now see that tiny little painting on the wall to the left, that's the Mona Lisa and about as close as I could get to it, due to the crazy crowds...
...and here is a painting of a couple of elegant dogs, taken especially for Animal Nephews Baxter and Yankee...
...and of course, the Louvre would have to be ruined by the installation of a Starbucks!
...but the pièce de résistance was the accidental discovery of a Delfonics shop... where I went nuts!
Below is a selection of photographs I took at the Louvre. First up is the Little Mother, albeit a little windblown:
...next we have another humorous example of Chinglish which I found on the backpack of the tourist queuing in front of me as we went through security checks (apologies for the blur, he kept moving!)...
"following me enjoy the time in spring. with you appreciate to read it. little sheep, keep company with you bathing in the beautiful scenery."
...now see that tiny little painting on the wall to the left, that's the Mona Lisa and about as close as I could get to it, due to the crazy crowds...
...and here is a painting of a couple of elegant dogs, taken especially for Animal Nephews Baxter and Yankee...
...and of course, the Louvre would have to be ruined by the installation of a Starbucks!
...but the pièce de résistance was the accidental discovery of a Delfonics shop... where I went nuts!
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Day 25: Paris at last
Margot says:
Whilst I am enjoying the thought of being in Paris at last, my travelling companion is finding it somewhat difficult to cope with city life. Despite this I have every intention of enjoying myself!
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport this morning, dropped off our hire car and picked up a taxi. Similarly to my last visit to Paris when everything was being cleaned, upgraded and scaffolded, the taxi driver had great difficulty in getting us to the hotel as the surrounding roads were in lock down due to some new development (roadworks!). We went around in circles and the poor chap had to park about a block away and help us drag our luggage to the hotel.
Our taxi driver was a very pleasant multi-lingual Iranian man (this impressed Catherine!) who gave us a guided tour when we got to the city centre, pointing out all the sights of interest. However, the pièce de résistance came when he advised us that he had a friend from Melbourne called Margot. He was so excited! What a coincidence!
We lunched at a nearby restaurant and watched the world go by. We are now back in our hotel room planning the next three days. Catherine will follow wherever I lead, so she says. Our first thing will be to organise a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to get our bearings.
Whilst I am enjoying the thought of being in Paris at last, my travelling companion is finding it somewhat difficult to cope with city life. Despite this I have every intention of enjoying myself!
We arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport this morning, dropped off our hire car and picked up a taxi. Similarly to my last visit to Paris when everything was being cleaned, upgraded and scaffolded, the taxi driver had great difficulty in getting us to the hotel as the surrounding roads were in lock down due to some new development (roadworks!). We went around in circles and the poor chap had to park about a block away and help us drag our luggage to the hotel.
Our taxi driver was a very pleasant multi-lingual Iranian man (this impressed Catherine!) who gave us a guided tour when we got to the city centre, pointing out all the sights of interest. However, the pièce de résistance came when he advised us that he had a friend from Melbourne called Margot. He was so excited! What a coincidence!
We lunched at a nearby restaurant and watched the world go by. We are now back in our hotel room planning the next three days. Catherine will follow wherever I lead, so she says. Our first thing will be to organise a hop-on-hop-off bus tour to get our bearings.
Saturday, 14 June 2014
Day 24: Hello Orléans... just for a little while
Catherine says:
After a five hour drive from Beaumont-du-Périgord we have arrived in Orléans and are staying overnight at the Mercure before heading off to Paris tomorrow.
I must be honest and say that I feel somewhat sad. Being back in a big city like Orléans and holing up in the sterile environs of a hotel makes me realise that our trip of a lifetime is over - or rather, 3 days away from being over. I miss the green fields and forests of Beaumont and its surrounds; its beautiful stone buildings; the sounds of the wild boars, foxes and nightingales at night; the hot days; the Bastide; the wonderful community feeling; the laid back lifestyle. Sue & Steve and Sue & Neil and Betrand & Elizabeth certainly made us feel so welcome and part of the Beaumont family. Here in the big smoke we are nothing more than an anonymous number: Tourists # 5,763,767 and # 5,763,768.
However, we will return home with some really wonderful memories, new friendships and many more stories to tell. And perhaps my dreams of returning again next year may become a reality. During our week with Sue & Steve I learned many valuable life lessons that have had quite a big impact on me.
Tomorrow we take a shorter 2 hour-ish (depending on traffic) drive to Charles de Gaulle airport to drop off our hire car and then somehow manage to drag ourselves and our excess luggage into Citadines Les Halles where we will stay until we check out on Wednesday before flying home later that night.
I am dreading the drive into Paris tomorrow. The Little Mother doesn't know this, but I have no idea how to return the car to the hire car folk. That is, where on earth is the hire car office at Charles de Gaulle airport? It is very big and whilst I may have managed to miraculously exit the airport last time (surely that was divine intervention!), entering it this time could prove to be very interesting! I'm hoping Tomasina (a.k.a. TomTom) will be able to help us out in that regard.
The other thing I'm dreading is Paris itself. I am by no means a city girl - and prefer the wide open spaces, parks, gardens, quiet winding roads and little villages. However, we have three things we wish to achieve; visits to:
After a five hour drive from Beaumont-du-Périgord we have arrived in Orléans and are staying overnight at the Mercure before heading off to Paris tomorrow.
I must be honest and say that I feel somewhat sad. Being back in a big city like Orléans and holing up in the sterile environs of a hotel makes me realise that our trip of a lifetime is over - or rather, 3 days away from being over. I miss the green fields and forests of Beaumont and its surrounds; its beautiful stone buildings; the sounds of the wild boars, foxes and nightingales at night; the hot days; the Bastide; the wonderful community feeling; the laid back lifestyle. Sue & Steve and Sue & Neil and Betrand & Elizabeth certainly made us feel so welcome and part of the Beaumont family. Here in the big smoke we are nothing more than an anonymous number: Tourists # 5,763,767 and # 5,763,768.
However, we will return home with some really wonderful memories, new friendships and many more stories to tell. And perhaps my dreams of returning again next year may become a reality. During our week with Sue & Steve I learned many valuable life lessons that have had quite a big impact on me.
Tomorrow we take a shorter 2 hour-ish (depending on traffic) drive to Charles de Gaulle airport to drop off our hire car and then somehow manage to drag ourselves and our excess luggage into Citadines Les Halles where we will stay until we check out on Wednesday before flying home later that night.
I am dreading the drive into Paris tomorrow. The Little Mother doesn't know this, but I have no idea how to return the car to the hire car folk. That is, where on earth is the hire car office at Charles de Gaulle airport? It is very big and whilst I may have managed to miraculously exit the airport last time (surely that was divine intervention!), entering it this time could prove to be very interesting! I'm hoping Tomasina (a.k.a. TomTom) will be able to help us out in that regard.
The other thing I'm dreading is Paris itself. I am by no means a city girl - and prefer the wide open spaces, parks, gardens, quiet winding roads and little villages. However, we have three things we wish to achieve; visits to:
- the Louvre
- L'Orangerie
- the Musée d'Orsay
Friday, 13 June 2014
Day 23: Last night in Beaumont-du-Périgord
Margot says:
Au revoir Beaumont!
Today is our last day in Beaumont and tomorrow we leave for Orléans.
We spent the first part of today in Monpazier, another Bastide town. Such history abounds! Then we had the pleasure of visiting Betrand and Elizabeth who live in the oldest house in the village. They gave us a tour of their magnificent abode filled with wondrous treasures. They were a most delightful and hospitable couple. We were accompanied by Sue 2.0 and her little dog. Sue, Bertrand and Elizabeth have been close friends for many years. We were very privileged and honoured to be permitted to see Bertrand's and Elizabeth's home.
We ended the day with yet another magnificent meal prepared by Steve. We should also mention the beautiful table setting arranged by Sue 1.0 who has an exquisite eye for detail. We will upload photographs shortly.
We will miss our after dinner drinks in the garden and interesting conversations. Although we have only been here for one week it will be hard to leave our new found friends tomorrow. However, we will keep in touch and already Catherine is planning a return visit next year.
It is late now and we have an early start so I shall finish this post now.
Bon nuit!
Au revoir Beaumont!
Today is our last day in Beaumont and tomorrow we leave for Orléans.
We spent the first part of today in Monpazier, another Bastide town. Such history abounds! Then we had the pleasure of visiting Betrand and Elizabeth who live in the oldest house in the village. They gave us a tour of their magnificent abode filled with wondrous treasures. They were a most delightful and hospitable couple. We were accompanied by Sue 2.0 and her little dog. Sue, Bertrand and Elizabeth have been close friends for many years. We were very privileged and honoured to be permitted to see Bertrand's and Elizabeth's home.
We ended the day with yet another magnificent meal prepared by Steve. We should also mention the beautiful table setting arranged by Sue 1.0 who has an exquisite eye for detail. We will upload photographs shortly.
We will miss our after dinner drinks in the garden and interesting conversations. Although we have only been here for one week it will be hard to leave our new found friends tomorrow. However, we will keep in touch and already Catherine is planning a return visit next year.
It is late now and we have an early start so I shall finish this post now.
Bon nuit!
Day 23: Dirty little stop outs
Catherine says:
Yes, it's after midnight and I am blogging! The Little Mother and I have been dirty little stop outs - conversing late into the night with Sue 1.0 and Sue 2.0 while the men in their lives watched the Brazil v Honduras match on the telly.
Ah, this is the life! But must say good night now! The Little Mother will dictate the next blog post tomorrow.
Yes, it's after midnight and I am blogging! The Little Mother and I have been dirty little stop outs - conversing late into the night with Sue 1.0 and Sue 2.0 while the men in their lives watched the Brazil v Honduras match on the telly.
Ah, this is the life! But must say good night now! The Little Mother will dictate the next blog post tomorrow.
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Day 22: Feeling hot, hot, hot
Catherine says:
Today is 31 degrees celsius. The Mater and I walked up the hill to centre ville from Moulin de la Ville to have lunch. By the time we arrived we were both suffering from different levels of exhaustion. Too hot to be out in the sun today. But clearly the phrase only old dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun can be applied to us - even if we aren't English.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant - a simple dish of omelette and salad followed by a little bowl of ice cream. Rather delicious, but unfortunately Michelin-starred chef Steve (owner and resident chef of Moulin de la Ville) has ruined all future culinary experiences for us as nothing quite compares to his cooking. He cooks for us every night and it is always a wonderful experience. Afterwards we sit in the garden with Steve and Sue and converse well into the night. We have had many an interesting conversation and both The Mater and I will miss our evenings with them when we leave on Saturday (for Orléans and then on to Paris).
Yesterday was a full day of painting with Jacqui Clarke (check out her website here) - an amazingly talented artist and teacher. There were three students - The Mater, me and a wonderful lady from Scotland via Canada called Lindsey. Both The Mater and Lindsey created some spectacular works of art however I produced nothing of a calibre higher than that of a kindergarten kid. Clearly I need some intensive lessons! It was a lot of fun, so I guess that's the most important thing.
I also had a really interesting encounter with Bertrand who I had heard about from the two Sues (Sue 1.0 as in Moulin de la Ville Sue and Sue 2.0 as in Centre Ville Sue). Bertrand and his wife live in the oldest house in the village which dates back to the time of King Edward the First and the house has been in the hands of Bertrand's family ever since! That is going back to the 1200s! This mind blowing fact almost caused me to pop a gasket. Anyhow, Bertrand has spent considerable time in Chile and so I was able to converse with him in Spanish which was a real treat. He showed me his beautiful garden, let me eat cherries from his tree and then gave me a tour of the outbuildings around his house. What was of particular interest to me were the three separate rooms where 3 of King Edward's soldiers slept and the space below where they looked out for invaders and where they could attack any advancing enemy soldiers. There was also a mighty big cellar, horse stables and myriad rooms that all fascinated me. There were probably a few ghosts in there too - I have heard many a tale from local residents about the ghost(s) that inhabit their and other houses. I am sure any exorcists out there could have a roaring trade here in Beaumont-du-Périgord!
I will finish this post here as it is after 4pm, the sun is still shining (it doesn't set until close to 10pm) and I want to sit in the beautiful garden here and read a book (as I am missing out on episodes of Game of Thrones I have to keep up with the latest by actually reading it in book form - which is quite interesting in itself as the book differs greatly - and is significantly better - than the TV series!)
Today is 31 degrees celsius. The Mater and I walked up the hill to centre ville from Moulin de la Ville to have lunch. By the time we arrived we were both suffering from different levels of exhaustion. Too hot to be out in the sun today. But clearly the phrase only old dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun can be applied to us - even if we aren't English.
We ate lunch at a local restaurant - a simple dish of omelette and salad followed by a little bowl of ice cream. Rather delicious, but unfortunately Michelin-starred chef Steve (owner and resident chef of Moulin de la Ville) has ruined all future culinary experiences for us as nothing quite compares to his cooking. He cooks for us every night and it is always a wonderful experience. Afterwards we sit in the garden with Steve and Sue and converse well into the night. We have had many an interesting conversation and both The Mater and I will miss our evenings with them when we leave on Saturday (for Orléans and then on to Paris).
Yesterday was a full day of painting with Jacqui Clarke (check out her website here) - an amazingly talented artist and teacher. There were three students - The Mater, me and a wonderful lady from Scotland via Canada called Lindsey. Both The Mater and Lindsey created some spectacular works of art however I produced nothing of a calibre higher than that of a kindergarten kid. Clearly I need some intensive lessons! It was a lot of fun, so I guess that's the most important thing.
I also had a really interesting encounter with Bertrand who I had heard about from the two Sues (Sue 1.0 as in Moulin de la Ville Sue and Sue 2.0 as in Centre Ville Sue). Bertrand and his wife live in the oldest house in the village which dates back to the time of King Edward the First and the house has been in the hands of Bertrand's family ever since! That is going back to the 1200s! This mind blowing fact almost caused me to pop a gasket. Anyhow, Bertrand has spent considerable time in Chile and so I was able to converse with him in Spanish which was a real treat. He showed me his beautiful garden, let me eat cherries from his tree and then gave me a tour of the outbuildings around his house. What was of particular interest to me were the three separate rooms where 3 of King Edward's soldiers slept and the space below where they looked out for invaders and where they could attack any advancing enemy soldiers. There was also a mighty big cellar, horse stables and myriad rooms that all fascinated me. There were probably a few ghosts in there too - I have heard many a tale from local residents about the ghost(s) that inhabit their and other houses. I am sure any exorcists out there could have a roaring trade here in Beaumont-du-Périgord!
I will finish this post here as it is after 4pm, the sun is still shining (it doesn't set until close to 10pm) and I want to sit in the beautiful garden here and read a book (as I am missing out on episodes of Game of Thrones I have to keep up with the latest by actually reading it in book form - which is quite interesting in itself as the book differs greatly - and is significantly better - than the TV series!)
Making "comments" on this blog
Many readers of this blog have remarked that they are unable to make "comments" on the various posts within this blog.
The reason for this is that Blogger has a security feature installed to prevent "spammers" or "bots" from making random (and oft times inappropriate) comments. Therefore, unless you can comment under one or more of the following logins, you are unable to comment "anonymously" on this blog:
- LiveJournal
- WordPress
- Typepad
- AIM
- OpenId
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Day 20: Château de Beynac
Catherine says
:
Temperature: high 20s Sky: overcast Humidity: frizzy hair day
Today we spent most of the day at Château de Beynac. Driving at Nana-speed (The Little Mother is still not quite comfortable with me driving at the allowable 90km per hour around the tight winding roads we frequently come across) it took us about one and a half hours. If I didn't have a Nana in the car I could have done it in 45 minutes.
The sight of the Château was really quite spectacular. It sits high on a lime cliff face overlooking the Dordogne river and the countryside below.
To digress somewhat, I must admit that there has not been one day when I haven't been overwhelmed by the beauty, the history or the culture of this magnificent country. I have well and truly become a Francophile. All that is missing is a good grasp of their wonderful language. I propose to embrace French lessons with gusto upon my return home. I cannot wait to return here and when I do I want to come equipped with fully functioning French! (The Mater really does exaggerate her perceived opinion of my French language skills!)
So back to the Château - I won't give you a history lesson, you can read that on Wikipedia - it's enormous and on par with Carcassone in its mind blowing greatness. See - it's so spectacular that I'm running out of adjectives.
Rather than upload a tonne of photographs onto this blog post I'm going to upload only one below and then I'm going to let you all into a handy little trick - if you let your mouse (cursor) hover over the photograph below you will see arrows superimposed on the left and right hand margins of the picture. Click on these arrows to scroll back and forth between the photos in the France 2014 album on flickr.
I will however - in a separate post - upload all of the photographs taken by The Little Mother because she is quite proud of her handy work (especially the shots she takes of our meals!) as am I and she deserves due recognition of how well she is manipulating her new Nikon Phd ("push here dummy") camera.
..and AZ, no we didn't find Monsieur Shreque at this castle either!
Temperature: high 20s Sky: overcast Humidity: frizzy hair day
Today we spent most of the day at Château de Beynac. Driving at Nana-speed (The Little Mother is still not quite comfortable with me driving at the allowable 90km per hour around the tight winding roads we frequently come across) it took us about one and a half hours. If I didn't have a Nana in the car I could have done it in 45 minutes.
The sight of the Château was really quite spectacular. It sits high on a lime cliff face overlooking the Dordogne river and the countryside below.
To digress somewhat, I must admit that there has not been one day when I haven't been overwhelmed by the beauty, the history or the culture of this magnificent country. I have well and truly become a Francophile. All that is missing is a good grasp of their wonderful language. I propose to embrace French lessons with gusto upon my return home. I cannot wait to return here and when I do I want to come equipped with fully functioning French! (The Mater really does exaggerate her perceived opinion of my French language skills!)
So back to the Château - I won't give you a history lesson, you can read that on Wikipedia - it's enormous and on par with Carcassone in its mind blowing greatness. See - it's so spectacular that I'm running out of adjectives.
Rather than upload a tonne of photographs onto this blog post I'm going to upload only one below and then I'm going to let you all into a handy little trick - if you let your mouse (cursor) hover over the photograph below you will see arrows superimposed on the left and right hand margins of the picture. Click on these arrows to scroll back and forth between the photos in the France 2014 album on flickr.
I will however - in a separate post - upload all of the photographs taken by The Little Mother because she is quite proud of her handy work (especially the shots she takes of our meals!) as am I and she deserves due recognition of how well she is manipulating her new Nikon Phd ("push here dummy") camera.
..and AZ, no we didn't find Monsieur Shreque at this castle either!
Monday, 9 June 2014
Day 19: The title of Catherine's new memoir
Catherine says:
Dawn French's memoir may be titled "Dear Fatty" but mine will certainly be "Dear Getting Fatter". I am turning into the human equivalent of foie gras.
Dawn French's memoir may be titled "Dear Fatty" but mine will certainly be "Dear Getting Fatter". I am turning into the human equivalent of foie gras.
Day 19: Relaxing times in Beaumont-du-Périgord
Margot says:
Beaumont-du-Périgord is a wonderful place to relax. Yesterday and today the temperature has been around 30-33 degrees celsius.
Our accommodation at Moulin de la Ville is set in 5 acres of beautiful woodlands and gardens. Glorious heady weather - days of wine and roses. Perfect weather for not doing too much. Just meandering around from tiny village to tiny village or just lazing in the afternoon sun on the expansive lush green lawn under the tall trees. The stream rippling and the wind gently moving the silver poplar leaves.
There are ducks that wander up in early evening (rescued by the owners of Moulin de la Ville when their mother went missing) and despite much encouragement to return to the wild they keep returning to the coop every night.
We are told there are wild boars nearby, yet to be seen and likewise the deer in the next field.
This is a romantic country, particularly in this region - the light is gentle and there is a painting around every corner. The romance comes through in this lovely language. How much better does it sound to attend a vide grenier instead of a car boot sale! We attended one this morning in the normally very quiet village of Saint Capraise de la Lalinde. The village is situated on the canal de 2 mers which is the continuation of the canal du midi.
We are apt to take lots of back roads and in doing so today we came upon the magical sight of Château de Bannes, high on a hill with goats gamboling on the lower fields. Coincidentally, this is where the son of Sue (Moulin de la Ville) was married with the fairytale wedding continuing with the reception at Moulin de la Ville.
Beaumont-du-Périgord is a wonderful place to relax. Yesterday and today the temperature has been around 30-33 degrees celsius.
Our accommodation at Moulin de la Ville is set in 5 acres of beautiful woodlands and gardens. Glorious heady weather - days of wine and roses. Perfect weather for not doing too much. Just meandering around from tiny village to tiny village or just lazing in the afternoon sun on the expansive lush green lawn under the tall trees. The stream rippling and the wind gently moving the silver poplar leaves.
There are ducks that wander up in early evening (rescued by the owners of Moulin de la Ville when their mother went missing) and despite much encouragement to return to the wild they keep returning to the coop every night.
We are told there are wild boars nearby, yet to be seen and likewise the deer in the next field.
This is a romantic country, particularly in this region - the light is gentle and there is a painting around every corner. The romance comes through in this lovely language. How much better does it sound to attend a vide grenier instead of a car boot sale! We attended one this morning in the normally very quiet village of Saint Capraise de la Lalinde. The village is situated on the canal de 2 mers which is the continuation of the canal du midi.
We are apt to take lots of back roads and in doing so today we came upon the magical sight of Château de Bannes, high on a hill with goats gamboling on the lower fields. Coincidentally, this is where the son of Sue (Moulin de la Ville) was married with the fairytale wedding continuing with the reception at Moulin de la Ville.
Sunday, 8 June 2014
Day 18: Gourmand's delight
Margot says:
This evening we dined with the owner of Moulin de la Ville, Sue and Steve for what we thought would be a basic barbecue. Upon serving the meal, Steve apologised for the abundance of food - as a chef he prefers to cater well and ensure that his guests appetites are replete.
Later, three of Sue's and Steve's friends from the village (Neil, Sue and their son) joined us and we chatted and laughed long into the night. They live in one of the oldest houses in the village dating back to the 13th century. Sue's and Steve's house (in which we are staying) dates back to 1272! King Edward I founded this village.
This evening we dined with the owner of Moulin de la Ville, Sue and Steve for what we thought would be a basic barbecue. Upon serving the meal, Steve apologised for the abundance of food - as a chef he prefers to cater well and ensure that his guests appetites are replete.
- Goats cheese and tomato salad.
- A green salad.
- Skewers of chicken.
- Pork steaks.
- Beef skewers.
Later, three of Sue's and Steve's friends from the village (Neil, Sue and their son) joined us and we chatted and laughed long into the night. They live in one of the oldest houses in the village dating back to the 13th century. Sue's and Steve's house (in which we are staying) dates back to 1272! King Edward I founded this village.
Day 18: Issigeac Market & the West African Kora player
Catherine says:
Of all the places in the world to find someone playing the kora, here I find a fella in the small mediaeval town of Issigeac (population less than 700).
Saturday, 7 June 2014
Day 17: First night's dinner
Margot says:
This evening our dinner was amazing! Fish, Sicilian style, followed by stuffed chicken breast with a truly great creamy tarragon sauce, followed by a light dessert of chocolate parfait accompanied by a brandy-style basket filled with sliced fruits.
I can't take too much of meals this size every day so tomorrow we have only ordered one course.
Steve is happy for us to watch him at work in his wonderfully equipped kitchen, built to enable him to conduct cooking classes and demonstrations. He is a Michelin star master chef whose interest in cooking was inspired by his grandmother and from the age of 7 he knew he wanted a career as a chef. Sue, on the other hand is an interior designer with a great eye for style and art and this is evidenced throughout the house and garden.
This evening our dinner was amazing! Fish, Sicilian style, followed by stuffed chicken breast with a truly great creamy tarragon sauce, followed by a light dessert of chocolate parfait accompanied by a brandy-style basket filled with sliced fruits.
I can't take too much of meals this size every day so tomorrow we have only ordered one course.
Steve is happy for us to watch him at work in his wonderfully equipped kitchen, built to enable him to conduct cooking classes and demonstrations. He is a Michelin star master chef whose interest in cooking was inspired by his grandmother and from the age of 7 he knew he wanted a career as a chef. Sue, on the other hand is an interior designer with a great eye for style and art and this is evidenced throughout the house and garden.
Day 17: Finally we have arrived at Beaumont-du-Périgord
Catherine says:
Tomasina's maps are out of date. This meant driving around in circles in Pézenas trying to get onto the motorway that would take us out of the city and on our way to Beaumont-du-Périgord in the Dordogne where we will be spending the next week. Round and round the round-a-bout we went before I just decided to take pot luck and ended up driving back towards Puisserguier before I managed to get Tomasina to recalibrate and get us on to an alternative toll route. It worked eventually and then we were on our way.
I won't bore you with the details as to how we got to La Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord, but of course once we neared our final destination Tomasina's maps were clearly out of date and we ended up running the gauntlet of tiny narrow streets, all one way. I'm starting to tire of her voice: when possible, turn around. The Little Mother simply says: we heard you the first time Tomasina and we're ignoring you. Miraculously we made it here in one piece.
Below is a photograph of The Mater in the garden at La Moulin de la Ville. In case you haven't noticed in all the photographs of her I have posted on this blog she wears that long string of pearls every day, together with all her rings - even the big sapphire one. This goes against all the advice we were given before leaving Australia. But no O'Neil is going to be slumming it in France!
Tomasina's maps are out of date. This meant driving around in circles in Pézenas trying to get onto the motorway that would take us out of the city and on our way to Beaumont-du-Périgord in the Dordogne where we will be spending the next week. Round and round the round-a-bout we went before I just decided to take pot luck and ended up driving back towards Puisserguier before I managed to get Tomasina to recalibrate and get us on to an alternative toll route. It worked eventually and then we were on our way.
I won't bore you with the details as to how we got to La Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord, but of course once we neared our final destination Tomasina's maps were clearly out of date and we ended up running the gauntlet of tiny narrow streets, all one way. I'm starting to tire of her voice: when possible, turn around. The Little Mother simply says: we heard you the first time Tomasina and we're ignoring you. Miraculously we made it here in one piece.
Below is a photograph of The Mater in the garden at La Moulin de la Ville. In case you haven't noticed in all the photographs of her I have posted on this blog she wears that long string of pearls every day, together with all her rings - even the big sapphire one. This goes against all the advice we were given before leaving Australia. But no O'Neil is going to be slumming it in France!
Day 17: Puisserguier to Beaumont-du-Périgord via Pézenas
Catherine says:
Today's route. Beaumont-du-Périgord via the Pézenas market. Click on the map to enlarge.
Today's route. Beaumont-du-Périgord via the Pézenas market. Click on the map to enlarge.
Friday, 6 June 2014
Day 16: Last day in Puisserguier
Margot says:
Sadly today is our last day in Puisserguier as tomorrow we set off for a week's stay at Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord.
Leaving here early in the morning, we will detour via Pézenas which has a great Saturday market.
Our final day in this region was spent at a delightful restaurant which was recommended by many, including Bill Caldwell. It is called Auberge de la Croisade and is located just outside of Cruzy on the canal du midi.
We were seated outdoors on a tree covered pergola; the air was warm and suited to a long 5 course luncheon. It was fantastic!
On the way back to Puisserguier, we saw lots of interesting buildings and have taken many photographs. When I can manage to distract Catherine from her crocheting (she found a wool shop yesterday!) perhaps I can arrange for her to upload them.
The weather has been amazing since we have been here. Temperature is between 23 and 27. This weekend is predicted to reach 30. We are even sporting a bit of a tan!
I have picked up a bit of a cold but got the all clear from the doctor yesterday. It was interesting to explain my medical conditions to a basically non-English speaking French doctor, but at least Catherine knew how to say remplacement de la valve aortique and lymphœdème.
To be honest, in her usual overly organised-for-every-potential-disaster fashion, Catherine presented to the doctor a full page of a French translation (with the assistance of Google translate and the Rosetta Stone in her head) of my medical history! I might add the doctor was found for us by our insurance company who gave us the wrong street address and wrong name of the doctor and incorrectly spelt my name on the documentation they sent through to the medical clinic prior to my attendance. In addition, although the insurance company stated the doctor spoke English (this was a specific request of ours due to my complicated medical history), I speak more Swahili than she speaks anglais! Nevertheless, she gave me a thorough check up and sent me home with an almost clean bill of health - I just have a nasty head cold.
We are now well past the half way mark of our trip. I can't believe how quickly it has gone. We have loved every minute of it!
Sadly today is our last day in Puisserguier as tomorrow we set off for a week's stay at Moulin de la Ville in Beaumont-du-Périgord.
Leaving here early in the morning, we will detour via Pézenas which has a great Saturday market.
Our final day in this region was spent at a delightful restaurant which was recommended by many, including Bill Caldwell. It is called Auberge de la Croisade and is located just outside of Cruzy on the canal du midi.
We were seated outdoors on a tree covered pergola; the air was warm and suited to a long 5 course luncheon. It was fantastic!
On the way back to Puisserguier, we saw lots of interesting buildings and have taken many photographs. When I can manage to distract Catherine from her crocheting (she found a wool shop yesterday!) perhaps I can arrange for her to upload them.
The weather has been amazing since we have been here. Temperature is between 23 and 27. This weekend is predicted to reach 30. We are even sporting a bit of a tan!
I have picked up a bit of a cold but got the all clear from the doctor yesterday. It was interesting to explain my medical conditions to a basically non-English speaking French doctor, but at least Catherine knew how to say remplacement de la valve aortique and lymphœdème.
To be honest, in her usual overly organised-for-every-potential-disaster fashion, Catherine presented to the doctor a full page of a French translation (with the assistance of Google translate and the Rosetta Stone in her head) of my medical history! I might add the doctor was found for us by our insurance company who gave us the wrong street address and wrong name of the doctor and incorrectly spelt my name on the documentation they sent through to the medical clinic prior to my attendance. In addition, although the insurance company stated the doctor spoke English (this was a specific request of ours due to my complicated medical history), I speak more Swahili than she speaks anglais! Nevertheless, she gave me a thorough check up and sent me home with an almost clean bill of health - I just have a nasty head cold.
We are now well past the half way mark of our trip. I can't believe how quickly it has gone. We have loved every minute of it!
Wednesday, 4 June 2014
Day 14: The eating continues
Catherine says:
Thank to Bill Caldwell's recommendation to eat at La Galinière, I have now transformed into a profiterole with chestnut creme.
Thank to Bill Caldwell's recommendation to eat at La Galinière, I have now transformed into a profiterole with chestnut creme.
Day 14: You are what you eat... the second transformation
Catherine says:
Sacre bleu!
Now I've just turned into a saucisson sec au bleu d'auvergne!
Sacre bleu!
Now I've just turned into a saucisson sec au bleu d'auvergne!
Day 14: You are what you eat
Catherine says:
You are what you eat. Therefore I am a baguette with mousse de canard.
You are what you eat. Therefore I am a baguette with mousse de canard.
Tuesday, 3 June 2014
Day 13: Another beautiful sunny day in Puisserguier
Margot says:
Today was a prescribed day of rest for Catherine and I acquiesced readily as I have picked up a cold and was happy to be idle.
For lunch we dined on a hearty steak in the village. After, we wandered aimlessly through this delightful town. The majority of the streets are only wide enough for one small car - campervans etc. are certainly a no go!
As you will see from the photos below, houses open directly onto the street but residents manage to find the smallest of spaces to have a few flowers or pots.
The local council add to the colourful landscape with potted petunias everywhere.
As a point of interest there is no rubbish collection. Large enclosed receptacles are dotted throughout the village and resident must deposit their own rubbish here (including separating recyclables).
Today's photos, the usual high standard from Catherine, were actually taken on my newly purchased small digital camera. I had trouble with the battery on my old one so upgraded. As Catherine did not take her usual whizz bang professional camera, she used mine. It just goes to prove that it's not the camera that produces the master shot, but definitely the operator. This is something that Catherine has been telling me for many years as I always blame the camera for my poor photos. As she says, it amazes her that anyone who can produce such beautiful paintings with great composition cannot frame a simple photograph! It's all so easy, she says.
Today was a prescribed day of rest for Catherine and I acquiesced readily as I have picked up a cold and was happy to be idle.
For lunch we dined on a hearty steak in the village. After, we wandered aimlessly through this delightful town. The majority of the streets are only wide enough for one small car - campervans etc. are certainly a no go!
As you will see from the photos below, houses open directly onto the street but residents manage to find the smallest of spaces to have a few flowers or pots.
The local council add to the colourful landscape with potted petunias everywhere.
As a point of interest there is no rubbish collection. Large enclosed receptacles are dotted throughout the village and resident must deposit their own rubbish here (including separating recyclables).
Today's photos, the usual high standard from Catherine, were actually taken on my newly purchased small digital camera. I had trouble with the battery on my old one so upgraded. As Catherine did not take her usual whizz bang professional camera, she used mine. It just goes to prove that it's not the camera that produces the master shot, but definitely the operator. This is something that Catherine has been telling me for many years as I always blame the camera for my poor photos. As she says, it amazes her that anyone who can produce such beautiful paintings with great composition cannot frame a simple photograph! It's all so easy, she says.
Monday, 2 June 2014
Day 12: Another semi-lazy day in sunny Puisserguier
Margot says:
I'm having a great holiday. Catherine is doing everything. She does the driving, communicating in French, the Google mapping, dealing with Tomasina (a.k.a. our GPS TomTom system), the grocery shopping and last night she did a home cooked meal. It was the best pasta sauce you've ever tasted - but of course that was due to the chorizo sausage we bought at Les Halles in Narbonne, nothing to do with her culinary skills!
Oh, and she even does the photography and blogging - I just dictate!
Today we spent two and a half hours in the doctor's surgery waiting room. Catherine used this time productively by writing out her script to read to the female doctor. Prior to departing Australia Catherine was prescribed quite strong antibiotics and cortisone for a respiratory infection which she hasn't quite recovered from so she needed to get it checked out. She was quite pleased with herself as the whole consultation was done in French, so she really is picking up the language quite quickly.
I'm doing quite well too in the language departement, considering the 18 month old toddler in the waiting room kept waving and saying to me au revoir! I understood this! Then she would run to her mother and say maman. I tried to get Catherine to say this too, but at 45 years of age it just wouldn't have had the same effect!
We were quite surprised that the doctor's visit only cost 23 euros! Back at home, our beloved George (as in, Dr Stathakopoulous), charges us AU$75! The bag of prescription medicines we had to come away with was about 40 euros, which is on par with the cost back home.
Catherine needs to take it a bit quiet this week before we leave here on Saturday - next stop Beaumont-du-Périgord. Strangely enough each and every time we mention our next stop, they all laugh and make big fat faces and tell us that we'll be doing nothing but eating. We are staying at a B&B owned by a Michelin star master chef so it looks like we'll be doing exactly that!
Bill Caldwell, of PAS, has given us a few restaurant recommendations in the area surrounding Puisserguier and we'll be doing our best to visit them before we leave for our next gourmet sojourn on Saturday.
Sunday, 1 June 2014
Day 11: Lazy day in Puisserguier
Margot says:
Just what the doctor ordered. Quiet day. Brilliant sunshine. Good book - Charlotte Gray by Sebastian Faulks, the author of Birdsong. Coincidentally enough, Charlotte Gray features the French resistance and much of it is based around the Limoges, Montauban and Clermont-Ferrand areas (picked this book up for a mere 3.50 at the Capestang market this morning!). As usual, when we find a market we seem to come home with lots of food. Home made sausages. Paella. Baguette. We also found a man who made kangourou sausages! I couldn't quite come at eating half of our coat of arms.
Tried a little painting, but as I only have acrylics with me, it was hard going under the hot sun.
My head is full of paintings to do when I get home.
Tomorrow we meet up with Josephine, a local artist. It was timely that the PAS newsletter arrived in my inbox, so I will share that with her.
Olives at the Capestang market
Cheese at the Capestang market
Capestang market flowers
Day 11: Capestang - rocks rock
Catherine says:
Just a few minutes away from Puisserguier is Capestang, an artist haven. My love affair with stone continues.
Day 11: Cute chicks
Catherine says:
What's come over me? All of a sudden I've gone mushy over cute baby animals. Quelle horreure!
This morning, contrary to the agreement that The Mater and I made against doing anything other than laze away the day in the sunshine in the back courtyard, we ventured out to the Capestang market. On the way we deviated from Tomasina's instructions and ventured down some narrow dirt roads and came across this hen and her 3 chicks (one of which is obscured in the background). There was a lot of oohing and aahing. From me. And a lot of cock-a-doodle-doing from the resident coq who was secured behind some fencing.
So, there you go. French chicks have mellowed me.
What's come over me? All of a sudden I've gone mushy over cute baby animals. Quelle horreure!
This morning, contrary to the agreement that The Mater and I made against doing anything other than laze away the day in the sunshine in the back courtyard, we ventured out to the Capestang market. On the way we deviated from Tomasina's instructions and ventured down some narrow dirt roads and came across this hen and her 3 chicks (one of which is obscured in the background). There was a lot of oohing and aahing. From me. And a lot of cock-a-doodle-doing from the resident coq who was secured behind some fencing.
So, there you go. French chicks have mellowed me.
Franglais & Frenglish
Catherine says:
I have a bit of catching up to do on the blog. So much to write about!
The other day, when we took the little boat trip down the canal du midi, the day's agenda was placed on each dining table - it was most obviously translated from the French into English by an online translating tool. I've captured some of it below. It gave me a good giggle. It reminds me a little of Chinglish.
I have a bit of catching up to do on the blog. So much to write about!
The other day, when we took the little boat trip down the canal du midi, the day's agenda was placed on each dining table - it was most obviously translated from the French into English by an online translating tool. I've captured some of it below. It gave me a good giggle. It reminds me a little of Chinglish.
"Here is a delicious moment full of happiness. Enchantment of hearing. Incessant schrill of cicadas and expression of their happiness. Full the heart bucolic cruise, authentic, natural, traditional and friendly. So, if we thought about the following of the day after a well deserved fresh drink, after these initial efforts. Meal while traditions, love of country, honesty and know-how. Our wine makers roots are able to offer the three colour of wine, at discretion. Our culture marked by hospitality wants the coffee is ordered. It's a tradition. Have a good lunch! To follow blessed cruise on the large reach paceful digestion. And a dream of a day of green tourism perfectly accompished. A memory of this unforgettable adventure incorporating the strength of your trip is available on board. A table set a picture with a glass. Exclusive edition ask them to the captain."
Day 10: Via Domitia (Narbonne)
Narbonne was first settled around 113BC. Below is a photograph of an exposed part of the original and first Roman road constructed in Gaul, Via Domitia - it connected Italy to Spain.
Ooh la la
Catherine says:
...capuchon de l'objectif de remplacement sounds oh so much more sexy than replacement lens cap...
Yes, I lost my lens cap for my big Canon wide angle lens. It's somewhere amongst the vegetables at the Narbonne market. Now I need to get a new one. Very annoying.
...capuchon de l'objectif de remplacement sounds oh so much more sexy than replacement lens cap...
Yes, I lost my lens cap for my big Canon wide angle lens. It's somewhere amongst the vegetables at the Narbonne market. Now I need to get a new one. Very annoying.
Saturday, 31 May 2014
Day 10: Narbonne market, Peyriac-sur-Mer, Perpignan & Collioure
Margot says:
A fantastic food market at Narbonne, Les Halles. Narbonne is only about half an hour's drive from Puisserguier. The display of the produce put the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne to shame! We bought our lunch supplies, pâté, jambon, chorizo and fromage together with baguettes all of which have become a staple of our diet when we are on the road. (Photos to follow)
We experienced incredible winds today as we drove south to the Vermillion Coast (Collioure) through the Pyrénées-Orientales. Traffic was heavy and the weather was warm. Catherine has taken some great photos of the mediterrannean but is too tired to upload them! Although it was only a 3 hour drive, with heavy traffic and speeds of 130kmh plus the strong winds it was exhausting for my chauffeur. I feel like I'm in a scene from "Driving Miss Daisy"!
On the way home we ignored Tomasina and detoured off into some tiny picturesque villages.
Tomorrow is most definitely a complete day of rest. Monday and Tuesday we have some meetings lined up with local artists that Noeleen has arranged for us. Nothing planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, yet. On Saturday we leave Puisserguier and head over to Beaumont-du-Perigord in the Dordogne.
Bonsoir!
A fantastic food market at Narbonne, Les Halles. Narbonne is only about half an hour's drive from Puisserguier. The display of the produce put the Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne to shame! We bought our lunch supplies, pâté, jambon, chorizo and fromage together with baguettes all of which have become a staple of our diet when we are on the road. (Photos to follow)
We experienced incredible winds today as we drove south to the Vermillion Coast (Collioure) through the Pyrénées-Orientales. Traffic was heavy and the weather was warm. Catherine has taken some great photos of the mediterrannean but is too tired to upload them! Although it was only a 3 hour drive, with heavy traffic and speeds of 130kmh plus the strong winds it was exhausting for my chauffeur. I feel like I'm in a scene from "Driving Miss Daisy"!
On the way home we ignored Tomasina and detoured off into some tiny picturesque villages.
Tomorrow is most definitely a complete day of rest. Monday and Tuesday we have some meetings lined up with local artists that Noeleen has arranged for us. Nothing planned for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, yet. On Saturday we leave Puisserguier and head over to Beaumont-du-Perigord in the Dordogne.
Bonsoir!
Friday, 30 May 2014
Day 9: Carcassonne, Le département de l'Aude
The city of Carcassonne has been inhabited since the Neolithic period. It has been occupied by the Romans and the Visigoths.
We took a 20 minute mini-bus ride around the perimeter as well as strolling through the narrow inner laneways which were densely populated by tourists and souvenir shops which detracted from the magnificence of the history surrounding this mediaeval fort.
We finished the afternoon at the Basilica of St Nazaire and were pleasantly surprised by the presence of a Russian orthodox vocal quartet singing beautifully. The acoustics in the church are well suited to such a performance. It was a fitting end to a day's activities.
On the way home (a mere hour's drive) we detoured from Tomasina's instructions and took a few deviations into some delightful villages. At every turn there is another wonder!
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Day 8: Canal du Midi
Margot says:
All my dreams came true today.
We did a day trip on the 240km long canal du midi, something I have been looking forward to for a long time. I remember well when the artist Bill Caldwell did a demonstration painting of a barge on the canal du midi. Today I saw the boats, large as life!
The particular section of the canal on which we travelled today was very interesting. We went through several locks (écluses - there are 91 locks in total along the length of the canal), including the Fonserannes Locks which is a staircase lock consisting of 7 consecutive locks. A brilliant piece of engineering from the 17th century. Pierre-Paul Riquet was the engineer for the construction of the canal which joins the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
One of the main features of the canal are the beautiful avenues of grand plane trees, easily 3 times the size of those on St Kilda Road! The light shining between the trunks on to the canal is magical. Tragically, a disease has affected many of these trees. Many have already been removed, have died and stand bare of leaves and those with obvious signs of disease have been marked for future removal.
We enjoyed a delightful lunch aboard le bateau. The most unfortunate part of the trip was that the guided commentary was all in French and so we lost most of the context. However, on our return home Wikipedia has filled in many blanks for us!
All my dreams came true today.
We did a day trip on the 240km long canal du midi, something I have been looking forward to for a long time. I remember well when the artist Bill Caldwell did a demonstration painting of a barge on the canal du midi. Today I saw the boats, large as life!
The particular section of the canal on which we travelled today was very interesting. We went through several locks (écluses - there are 91 locks in total along the length of the canal), including the Fonserannes Locks which is a staircase lock consisting of 7 consecutive locks. A brilliant piece of engineering from the 17th century. Pierre-Paul Riquet was the engineer for the construction of the canal which joins the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
One of the main features of the canal are the beautiful avenues of grand plane trees, easily 3 times the size of those on St Kilda Road! The light shining between the trunks on to the canal is magical. Tragically, a disease has affected many of these trees. Many have already been removed, have died and stand bare of leaves and those with obvious signs of disease have been marked for future removal.
We enjoyed a delightful lunch aboard le bateau. The most unfortunate part of the trip was that the guided commentary was all in French and so we lost most of the context. However, on our return home Wikipedia has filled in many blanks for us!
Wednesday, 28 May 2014
Tuesday, 27 May 2014
Day 6: Side of a cow and dog tales
Catherine says:
Today was a day of rest. I insisted that The Little Mother put her feet up and massaged her legs with lavender oil. We hung around the house until midday and then took a Nana-walk up to the centre ville for lunch. We spotted a little restaurant and sat down.
The only thing we understood on the menu was boeuf - beef. This word was prefaced with côte which I knew in another context meant coast but surely this didn't mean they were offering a coast of beef. Anyhow, we ordered it just the same. The animated waitress gestured that this was a rather large dish. We didn't mind. So she took the order to the kitchen and promptly returned saying petit, petit, petit? Well, we know what petit means so we just smiled, nodded and said oui!
Shortly afterwards she brings us something that resemble the whole side of a cow.
This was the biggest beef steak I have ever set eyes on. It was so big it was falling off the plate. Along with it came side dishes of mushroom sauce, broccoli and courgette gratin and something that resembled hash browns but was substantially more classy (of course it would be, it's French!) plus Bob Baguettes, so named by The Little Mother and I after meeting Judge Bob in Amiens who was a baguette aficionado and very particular - a baguette is not a baguette if it is a sourdough baguette!
We both dived in head first as this was the first substantial meal we have eaten since we left Amiens. I'm afraid we've been living off Bob Baguettes, jambon et fromage et tomat!
After we had completely consumed the whole cow the waitress advised us that under normal circumstances the steak is double the thickness (about 2 inches!) but the chef had the good sense to split it in two for us.
We finished the meal with dessert - creme caramel and apricot tart. Delicieux!
When we returned home, we had a little visit from Noeleen who was in a bit of a state because the local coppers had paid her a visit. I immediately went in to some panic thinking it had something to do with the way I had parked the car or that perhaps they had caught up with me for speeding because I still haven't worked out that part of driving a car and the speed limit signs are few and far between here (no TAC exists in France!). However, the gendarmerie were only doing a door knock to find a stray dog! Quelle horreure! Dogs are not permitted to roam the streets without a lead and so the local constabulary were on a mission to save the town from the stray dog! Really, the situation seemed to come straight out of an episode of Ballykissangel. What made it all the more funny was that the door knocking policeman was doing it in his lunch break which, here in France, is sacreligious! Everyone knocks off between 12 and 2 (all the shops shut) so that they can focus on food (hey, this is my kind of country!) so for a man to forego his 2 hour lunch break to hunt down a stray dog is going well beyond the call of duty.
Today was a day of rest. I insisted that The Little Mother put her feet up and massaged her legs with lavender oil. We hung around the house until midday and then took a Nana-walk up to the centre ville for lunch. We spotted a little restaurant and sat down.
The only thing we understood on the menu was boeuf - beef. This word was prefaced with côte which I knew in another context meant coast but surely this didn't mean they were offering a coast of beef. Anyhow, we ordered it just the same. The animated waitress gestured that this was a rather large dish. We didn't mind. So she took the order to the kitchen and promptly returned saying petit, petit, petit? Well, we know what petit means so we just smiled, nodded and said oui!
Shortly afterwards she brings us something that resemble the whole side of a cow.
This was the biggest beef steak I have ever set eyes on. It was so big it was falling off the plate. Along with it came side dishes of mushroom sauce, broccoli and courgette gratin and something that resembled hash browns but was substantially more classy (of course it would be, it's French!) plus Bob Baguettes, so named by The Little Mother and I after meeting Judge Bob in Amiens who was a baguette aficionado and very particular - a baguette is not a baguette if it is a sourdough baguette!
We both dived in head first as this was the first substantial meal we have eaten since we left Amiens. I'm afraid we've been living off Bob Baguettes, jambon et fromage et tomat!
After we had completely consumed the whole cow the waitress advised us that under normal circumstances the steak is double the thickness (about 2 inches!) but the chef had the good sense to split it in two for us.
We finished the meal with dessert - creme caramel and apricot tart. Delicieux!
When we returned home, we had a little visit from Noeleen who was in a bit of a state because the local coppers had paid her a visit. I immediately went in to some panic thinking it had something to do with the way I had parked the car or that perhaps they had caught up with me for speeding because I still haven't worked out that part of driving a car and the speed limit signs are few and far between here (no TAC exists in France!). However, the gendarmerie were only doing a door knock to find a stray dog! Quelle horreure! Dogs are not permitted to roam the streets without a lead and so the local constabulary were on a mission to save the town from the stray dog! Really, the situation seemed to come straight out of an episode of Ballykissangel. What made it all the more funny was that the door knocking policeman was doing it in his lunch break which, here in France, is sacreligious! Everyone knocks off between 12 and 2 (all the shops shut) so that they can focus on food (hey, this is my kind of country!) so for a man to forego his 2 hour lunch break to hunt down a stray dog is going well beyond the call of duty.
Day 6: Puisserguier, Hérault, Languedoc-Roussillon
Catherine says:
Puisserguier is located in the Hérault Department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is a 30 minute drive from the Mediterranean and a 15 minute drive from the nearest large town, Béziers. Population is a little less than 3,000.
This small village is renowned for its wine and olive oil and its history goes back to mediaeval times. The design of the village is circulade, which is a type of architecture dating back to the Romanesque period whereby the town's streets are built in concentric circles around the base of a chateau. (I guess that means that we can't really get lost; instead we'll just be spinning around in circles!)
Puisserguier's chateau is built on an old Roman fort and played an important role during the 12th century. In addition to the chateau there is St Christopher's Priory (17th century) and the Church of St Paul (14th century) which houses an organ that celebrated its centenary in 2000 (which, I guess, is not considered so antiquated in these parts!).
Puisserguier sits on one of the many routes on the Camino de Santiago de Compostola (St Jacques de Campostelle) - we were not aware of this so it was a pleasant surprise as we have often discussed this pilgrimage.
The other exciting aspect to this town is that it sits on the 240km long UNESCO heritage listed canal du midi (or canal de los doas mars - canal of the two seas because it joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic ocean). It is considered to be one of the greatest engineering works of the 17th century. Before we leave Puisserguier Mum and I plan to take a little dinner cruise on one of the many boats that travel up and down the canal.
Puisserguier is located in the Hérault Department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France. It is a 30 minute drive from the Mediterranean and a 15 minute drive from the nearest large town, Béziers. Population is a little less than 3,000.
This small village is renowned for its wine and olive oil and its history goes back to mediaeval times. The design of the village is circulade, which is a type of architecture dating back to the Romanesque period whereby the town's streets are built in concentric circles around the base of a chateau. (I guess that means that we can't really get lost; instead we'll just be spinning around in circles!)
Puisserguier's chateau is built on an old Roman fort and played an important role during the 12th century. In addition to the chateau there is St Christopher's Priory (17th century) and the Church of St Paul (14th century) which houses an organ that celebrated its centenary in 2000 (which, I guess, is not considered so antiquated in these parts!).
Puisserguier sits on one of the many routes on the Camino de Santiago de Compostola (St Jacques de Campostelle) - we were not aware of this so it was a pleasant surprise as we have often discussed this pilgrimage.
The other exciting aspect to this town is that it sits on the 240km long UNESCO heritage listed canal du midi (or canal de los doas mars - canal of the two seas because it joins the Mediterranean with the Atlantic ocean). It is considered to be one of the greatest engineering works of the 17th century. Before we leave Puisserguier Mum and I plan to take a little dinner cruise on one of the many boats that travel up and down the canal.
Map of day 5 driving: Limoges to Puisserguier - 7 hours
Below is a map of our route from Limoges to Puisserguier.
Map of day 4 driving: Amiens to Limoges - 10 hours
Below is a record of our drive from Amiens to Limoges on day 3. Driving time states a little over 7 hours, although with breaks along the way it took us 10 hours.
Day 6: Breakfast with rose
Catherine says:
Awoke bright and early and shared our breakfast with the sun streaming through the window, Karen Flavel's collection of classical music playing in the background and red roses on the table.
Awoke bright and early and shared our breakfast with the sun streaming through the window, Karen Flavel's collection of classical music playing in the background and red roses on the table.
Monday, 26 May 2014
Catherine says: OMG
..I can buy a house in Puisserguier for only 50 thousand euros!
Goodbye Edithvale. Hello France!
Day 5: Limoges to Puisserguier
Catherine says:
At last we have arrived at Puisserguier!
It took 7 hours of driving, mostly in heavy rains in the toll roads to reach Puisserguier from Limoges. I have now legislated that The Little Mother will do absolutely no driving on this holiday; not because she's not capable (after all, she drove a campervan around Europe last time we were here) but because this trip is all about spoiling her!
We are staying in a beautiful house ("Chez Noeleen"), a converted winemaker's cottage; three storeys, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and the most beautiful courtyard garden. The pergola is covered in grapevines, wisteria, red roses and ivy. There is also lavender, lupins, lillies, cyclamen and honeysuckle. Beyond the decking is a white gravelled area, the original old outhouse toilet the aged wood being a real feature. There is also a table & chairs to while away the time in the sun which has now shown its face at 5:45pm - a nice change from the extremely wet and overcast weather we experienced on the way down.
Adjacent to the house is a large "garage" which was the original winemaking premises. It still has all the original fittings and an enormous entry door which the owner has lovingly restored. This house has so much character1
We will stay here for 2 weeks and use it as a base to visit the mediaeval fortress town of Carcassone (which we glimpsed on the way down - even in the distance it was spectacular), Narbonne (famous for its market) and Capestang which is a mere 10 minute drive away renowned for being an artists' haven.
Puisserguier has a population of less than 3,000 people so we are truly going to enjoy the slow life.
The owner of our little house (who also lives next door) is a delightful Irishwoman called Noeleen Murphy. She gave us a great welcome, just like one of the family.
Below is a photograph of the view from one of the bedrooms.
..and the garden courtyard...
...and the house from another angle...
...the garden again...
...and the original outhouse...
At last we have arrived at Puisserguier!
It took 7 hours of driving, mostly in heavy rains in the toll roads to reach Puisserguier from Limoges. I have now legislated that The Little Mother will do absolutely no driving on this holiday; not because she's not capable (after all, she drove a campervan around Europe last time we were here) but because this trip is all about spoiling her!
We are staying in a beautiful house ("Chez Noeleen"), a converted winemaker's cottage; three storeys, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and the most beautiful courtyard garden. The pergola is covered in grapevines, wisteria, red roses and ivy. There is also lavender, lupins, lillies, cyclamen and honeysuckle. Beyond the decking is a white gravelled area, the original old outhouse toilet the aged wood being a real feature. There is also a table & chairs to while away the time in the sun which has now shown its face at 5:45pm - a nice change from the extremely wet and overcast weather we experienced on the way down.
Adjacent to the house is a large "garage" which was the original winemaking premises. It still has all the original fittings and an enormous entry door which the owner has lovingly restored. This house has so much character1
We will stay here for 2 weeks and use it as a base to visit the mediaeval fortress town of Carcassone (which we glimpsed on the way down - even in the distance it was spectacular), Narbonne (famous for its market) and Capestang which is a mere 10 minute drive away renowned for being an artists' haven.
Puisserguier has a population of less than 3,000 people so we are truly going to enjoy the slow life.
The owner of our little house (who also lives next door) is a delightful Irishwoman called Noeleen Murphy. She gave us a great welcome, just like one of the family.
Below is a photograph of the view from one of the bedrooms.
..and the garden courtyard...
...and the house from another angle...
...the garden again...
...and the original outhouse...
Day 4: The Day of the Round-a-bouts and The Day of Tunnels
Margot says:
It has been somewhat of a talking point in our family of the tale of my brother Bryan's encounter with his first round-a-bout on one of his trips to France.
Catherine felt very proud of herself on Day 3 (Amiens to Limoges) when she navigated her way around at least 50 round-a-bouts in one day. We were sick to death of Tomasina (my nickname for the TomTom GPS we are so fortunate to have in our possession) repeatedly saying "at the next round-a-bout take the second exit". The only role I played in navigating our way around the labyrinth of round-a-bouts was to count the exits to ensure that we took the right one.
On occasion I slipped up and we would take the wrong one and Tomasina would quite patiently - in her clipped English accent - tell us: "when possible, please turn around".
Amazingly, the next day (Day 4, Limoges to Puisserguier) there was a dearth of round-a-bouts and so driving was rather plain sailing. However, for those who know me well and my dislike of driving through tunnels (even Melbourne's CityLoop!) day 4 was rather trying as there were several tunnels we needed to go through to reach our destination. I held my breath as I went through each tunnel, unsure as to why I think this will help my tunnel-anxiety!
The amusing thing about the tunnels is that at the beginning of a tunnel, there is a sign which indicates you are approaching one. The tunnels are that darned big no sign is really necessary. What is even more amusing is that after exiting a tunnel, about 20 metres on, there is yet another sign indicating that we have left the tunnel!
It has been somewhat of a talking point in our family of the tale of my brother Bryan's encounter with his first round-a-bout on one of his trips to France.
Catherine felt very proud of herself on Day 3 (Amiens to Limoges) when she navigated her way around at least 50 round-a-bouts in one day. We were sick to death of Tomasina (my nickname for the TomTom GPS we are so fortunate to have in our possession) repeatedly saying "at the next round-a-bout take the second exit". The only role I played in navigating our way around the labyrinth of round-a-bouts was to count the exits to ensure that we took the right one.
On occasion I slipped up and we would take the wrong one and Tomasina would quite patiently - in her clipped English accent - tell us: "when possible, please turn around".
Amazingly, the next day (Day 4, Limoges to Puisserguier) there was a dearth of round-a-bouts and so driving was rather plain sailing. However, for those who know me well and my dislike of driving through tunnels (even Melbourne's CityLoop!) day 4 was rather trying as there were several tunnels we needed to go through to reach our destination. I held my breath as I went through each tunnel, unsure as to why I think this will help my tunnel-anxiety!
The amusing thing about the tunnels is that at the beginning of a tunnel, there is a sign which indicates you are approaching one. The tunnels are that darned big no sign is really necessary. What is even more amusing is that after exiting a tunnel, about 20 metres on, there is yet another sign indicating that we have left the tunnel!
Sunday, 25 May 2014
Day 4: Exhausted
Catherine says:
Drove 10 hours today. From Amiens in the north to Limoges further south via Rouen, Chartres then Orleans. Tomorrow we head down even further towards the coast to Puisserguier.
That's all I'm going to say about that because right now my head is so close to the pillow I'm almost comatose.
Drove 10 hours today. From Amiens in the north to Limoges further south via Rouen, Chartres then Orleans. Tomorrow we head down even further towards the coast to Puisserguier.
That's all I'm going to say about that because right now my head is so close to the pillow I'm almost comatose.
Day 4: Moving on
Margot says:
Our aim today was to be up bright and early, breakfasted and ready to go by 8am. The best laid plans of mice and men...
At 8am when we went to retrieve the car from the long term car park we discovered it doesn't open on a Sunday until 10am. So we had two hours to kill. Hence the number of blog posts this morning.
It's a brilliantly sunny morning - unlike yesterday which was overcast and occasionally wet. We walked the short distance to the Amiens Cathedral over cobbled roads and paths and lit a candle for my late friend Bev.
Mass was about to start and I took a short video of the altar with the choir singing in the background. This will be a real reminder of Bev.
Once more, we have returned to our room and it is still only 9.40am. Not enough time to do anything much, except check emails and write blog posts.
Once we extract the car from the car park (!) and load it up with our two tonne of luggage (what were we thinking? Initially we had plans to only travel with carry on luggage!) we will head south west towards Rouen and then on to Limoges where we hope to stay the night. On Monday we will drive the final leg to Puisserguier for a two week stay at Chez Noeleen.
Puisserguier is a very small town (population less than 3,000) in the Languedoc-Rousillon region (Hérault Department). The nearest large city is Montpellier, 90kms away.
We are looking forward to mixing with the locals and absorbing their culture. We now find that Noeleen of Chez Noeleen is Irish! Noeleen Murphy to be exact!
Our aim today was to be up bright and early, breakfasted and ready to go by 8am. The best laid plans of mice and men...
At 8am when we went to retrieve the car from the long term car park we discovered it doesn't open on a Sunday until 10am. So we had two hours to kill. Hence the number of blog posts this morning.
It's a brilliantly sunny morning - unlike yesterday which was overcast and occasionally wet. We walked the short distance to the Amiens Cathedral over cobbled roads and paths and lit a candle for my late friend Bev.
Mass was about to start and I took a short video of the altar with the choir singing in the background. This will be a real reminder of Bev.
Once more, we have returned to our room and it is still only 9.40am. Not enough time to do anything much, except check emails and write blog posts.
Once we extract the car from the car park (!) and load it up with our two tonne of luggage (what were we thinking? Initially we had plans to only travel with carry on luggage!) we will head south west towards Rouen and then on to Limoges where we hope to stay the night. On Monday we will drive the final leg to Puisserguier for a two week stay at Chez Noeleen.
Puisserguier is a very small town (population less than 3,000) in the Languedoc-Rousillon region (Hérault Department). The nearest large city is Montpellier, 90kms away.
We are looking forward to mixing with the locals and absorbing their culture. We now find that Noeleen of Chez Noeleen is Irish! Noeleen Murphy to be exact!
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Day 3: A supposed day of rest
Margot says:
It took a while but we are now fully connected to the outside world - technologically speaking - thanks to Telstra and Catherine's genius!
We had a lovely walk around the city today at "Nana-pace". That is, when the hotel manager advises that the walk to the train station is a mere 15 minutes away, this translates into 45 minutes at "Nana-pace".
This is a delightful city. We were not expecting it to be so beautiful and charming. It is full of history and has a strong bond with Australia. Australian flags and references to our country appear everywhere.
We lunched at Le 31 restaurant on the river; highly recommended. Scallops for me and salmon for Catherine (who is still overcoming a case of "Bali belly" due to the local water!)
Today we had the great fortune of falling upon an advertisement for a concert at a nearby church. It was a short walk from our hotel to Eglise Saint Leu. We were most excited when we arrived at the church, read the programme and discovered that a Professor of Music & Musicology from the Sorbonne was the director - Frederic Billiet! It was a brilliant performance of mediaeval and renaissance music by Le Speranza choir. We were amazed at the collection of 15th century musical instruments and the Professor was highly animated - he resembled Lenin but with a considerably more joyful countenance!
Although we could not understand all of the language, the performance was magnificent - a most unexpected bonus of our time in Amiens.
The church itself is extremely old and bears the scars of bombing during 1940. Burnt and bullet pitted walls are prevalent. It was obvious that the stained glass windows had been destroyed and never replaced. Such a shame that this old church was not unscathed, whereas the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Amiens was untouched and continues to retain all its original glory.
The altar was most ornate, heavily gilded and dramatically lit throughout the spectacular performance.
The choir was small, consisting of 6 women and 3 men plus the instrumentalists. They all wore medieaval costume. As it turned out, this was a free concert and I was amazed that there was such a small attendance of only about 100 people.
The acoustics were very much suited to the music and I bought a copy of their CD. Strangely enough, all day we had been listening to Catherine's iPod (connected to portable speakers, of course!) - a beautiful compilation by a French choir (founded by Laurence Equilbey in 1991) which performs under the name of Accentus and is in residence at the Opéra Rouen (one of our next stops) - some of the songs we had been listening to on the iPod today were performed this evening!
It finished at 10pm so we walked slowly back to our hotel in the daylight.
A day full of surprises!
It took a while but we are now fully connected to the outside world - technologically speaking - thanks to Telstra and Catherine's genius!
We had a lovely walk around the city today at "Nana-pace". That is, when the hotel manager advises that the walk to the train station is a mere 15 minutes away, this translates into 45 minutes at "Nana-pace".
This is a delightful city. We were not expecting it to be so beautiful and charming. It is full of history and has a strong bond with Australia. Australian flags and references to our country appear everywhere.
We lunched at Le 31 restaurant on the river; highly recommended. Scallops for me and salmon for Catherine (who is still overcoming a case of "Bali belly" due to the local water!)
Today we had the great fortune of falling upon an advertisement for a concert at a nearby church. It was a short walk from our hotel to Eglise Saint Leu. We were most excited when we arrived at the church, read the programme and discovered that a Professor of Music & Musicology from the Sorbonne was the director - Frederic Billiet! It was a brilliant performance of mediaeval and renaissance music by Le Speranza choir. We were amazed at the collection of 15th century musical instruments and the Professor was highly animated - he resembled Lenin but with a considerably more joyful countenance!
Although we could not understand all of the language, the performance was magnificent - a most unexpected bonus of our time in Amiens.
The church itself is extremely old and bears the scars of bombing during 1940. Burnt and bullet pitted walls are prevalent. It was obvious that the stained glass windows had been destroyed and never replaced. Such a shame that this old church was not unscathed, whereas the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Amiens was untouched and continues to retain all its original glory.
The altar was most ornate, heavily gilded and dramatically lit throughout the spectacular performance.
The choir was small, consisting of 6 women and 3 men plus the instrumentalists. They all wore medieaval costume. As it turned out, this was a free concert and I was amazed that there was such a small attendance of only about 100 people.
The acoustics were very much suited to the music and I bought a copy of their CD. Strangely enough, all day we had been listening to Catherine's iPod (connected to portable speakers, of course!) - a beautiful compilation by a French choir (founded by Laurence Equilbey in 1991) which performs under the name of Accentus and is in residence at the Opéra Rouen (one of our next stops) - some of the songs we had been listening to on the iPod today were performed this evening!
It finished at 10pm so we walked slowly back to our hotel in the daylight.
A day full of surprises!
Sad news from home
Margot says:
Today was supposed to be a day of rest from emotion and activity. But sad news arrived from home that my dear friend Bev Dunkerley (a friend of more than 60 years) had passed away on Thursday 22nd May.
The quality of her life had been diminishing lately so I cannot wish her back. Eternal rest grant unto her oh Lord, may she rest in peace. Amen.
As one of our group of "Girls", who have been meeting together once a month for more than 50 years, and who all met in early primary school days this will leave a big gap in our midst. We have shared many milestones, memories and much laughter over many years.
I will miss her dearly.
Today was supposed to be a day of rest from emotion and activity. But sad news arrived from home that my dear friend Bev Dunkerley (a friend of more than 60 years) had passed away on Thursday 22nd May.
The quality of her life had been diminishing lately so I cannot wish her back. Eternal rest grant unto her oh Lord, may she rest in peace. Amen.
As one of our group of "Girls", who have been meeting together once a month for more than 50 years, and who all met in early primary school days this will leave a big gap in our midst. We have shared many milestones, memories and much laughter over many years.
I will miss her dearly.
Day 2: Brave soldiers and fallen heroes
Margot says:
Yesterday (Friday 23 May) we toured the Battlefields. Adorned with Dad's (Cyril's) medals, his photo and citation, along with details of the grandfather (Albert Roth, killed 30 June 1916) of my friend of more than 50 years,Val Day, we set out with a guide and another couple, Bob and Deborah from Sydney. It was a most emotionally charged day.
Early in the morning we visited the Amiens Cathedral just across from our hotel. I imagined Dad (Cyril) paying a visit in 1917, not because of his religious beliefs but just because his dear Mum would have expected it! We lit a large candle for all our families.
The next stop was the Villers Brettonneux Memorial where we saw Val's grandfather's name and placed a poppy, said a prayer and cried some. The tragedy of all those lives lost, many so young, in the prime of their lives. The guide, Barbara LeGrand, was most interesting and passionate about the role the Australians played in the area. She personalised the tour to revolve around Dad. Bob and Deborah said it made the trip much more meaningful. I gazed at the strip of land which was the actual no-mans land where Dad would have driven the ambulance and retrieved the fallen. It was spine tingling. We walked in Hamel wood where the Germans holed out. It is now a peaceful, lush green heavily treed space that is mainly used for hunting. Apparently all the shell holes are still evident but we failed to see any. We placed a Cross and Poppy on behalf of Cyril and offered several prayers. We were all tearful. Catherine has lots of amazing photos to share when she has more time to upload them to Flickr.
The weather is pleasant and of course, days are long as it is still light at 10pm. Tomorrow will be a rest day after all the emotion and on Sunday we drive down to Puisserguier (south of Beziers in South East France). We have 2 weeks based there.
I find it hard to believe I am actually in France at last!
Yesterday (Friday 23 May) we toured the Battlefields. Adorned with Dad's (Cyril's) medals, his photo and citation, along with details of the grandfather (Albert Roth, killed 30 June 1916) of my friend of more than 50 years,Val Day, we set out with a guide and another couple, Bob and Deborah from Sydney. It was a most emotionally charged day.
Early in the morning we visited the Amiens Cathedral just across from our hotel. I imagined Dad (Cyril) paying a visit in 1917, not because of his religious beliefs but just because his dear Mum would have expected it! We lit a large candle for all our families.
The next stop was the Villers Brettonneux Memorial where we saw Val's grandfather's name and placed a poppy, said a prayer and cried some. The tragedy of all those lives lost, many so young, in the prime of their lives. The guide, Barbara LeGrand, was most interesting and passionate about the role the Australians played in the area. She personalised the tour to revolve around Dad. Bob and Deborah said it made the trip much more meaningful. I gazed at the strip of land which was the actual no-mans land where Dad would have driven the ambulance and retrieved the fallen. It was spine tingling. We walked in Hamel wood where the Germans holed out. It is now a peaceful, lush green heavily treed space that is mainly used for hunting. Apparently all the shell holes are still evident but we failed to see any. We placed a Cross and Poppy on behalf of Cyril and offered several prayers. We were all tearful. Catherine has lots of amazing photos to share when she has more time to upload them to Flickr.
The weather is pleasant and of course, days are long as it is still light at 10pm. Tomorrow will be a rest day after all the emotion and on Sunday we drive down to Puisserguier (south of Beziers in South East France). We have 2 weeks based there.
I find it hard to believe I am actually in France at last!
Day 2: Monument to the missing
At the Anglo-French Memorial in Picardie is a monument to the 72,000 English and French fallen soldiers whose bodies were never found. The walls of the monument are covered with their names. Occasionally you will come across a blank space where a name has been obliterated - meaning, this soldier - alive or dead - had been found. We do not know if he survived or only his body was found.
Day 2: Australian Judge saves the day in Amiens
Catherine says:
Bonjour mes amies. G'day folks.
Apropos to the previous post, our car troubles increase when the following morning (Friday) our hotel desk manager advises that as hard as they may have tried the only way to swap our hybrid car is to return it to the hire car company at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Yes, brilliant idea. But how do we do that if we can't turn the damned car on!
As we were scheduled to participate in a battlefields tour from 9am to 6.30pm on Friday, the hotel desk manager (or perhaps I should say managers as our car problems seem to have resulted in the hotel creating a Project Management team to resolve our issue!) advised that we should take the tour anyway and they would try to sort out the issue of swapping the car over in Amiens as it was quite impossible for us to return the car to Paris if we couldn't turn on the wretched thing.
So we trotted off for a 20 minute walk to the Amiens train station where we were met by Barbara Legrand of True Blue Digger Tours (corny, I know, but said with a French accent one can get away with it). Also participating in the tour were two Australian Judges by the name of Bob and Deborah who were the most delightful tour companions.
What The Mater and I were not aware of when we met our tour companions is that they are both hybrid car aficionados. Yes, people, Bob and Deborah drive hybrid cars at home!
After an hour or so when the topic of transport arose whilst comparing travelling notes, we mentioned our little dilemma and Bob's and Deborah's faces lit up! "Oh they're the easiest cars to drive" said Bob who promptly offered to give me a lesson in starting up our pesky little vehicle.
At this point we were having a tour of the Amiens Cathedral (the largest and most spectacular in France) which just happened to be a hop skip and a jump (not a 1500m Olympic walk) away from our hotel and the car park where the hybrid was lying low. So Bob suggested we go then and there to sort out our vehicular issues and within no time I had mastered the art of turning on the car and actually driving it.
What a fortuitous encounter! Thank you Angel Bob!
All the while the tour guide, losing valuable tour time, and Mum and Deborah had returned to the tour van whilst awaiting Bob's and my return. However, we didn't know where the van was parked and so Bob and I simply returned to the street corner where we had last left the trio. We waited and waited and waited. And no sign of Margot, Deborah or Barbara. Bob then thought that perhaps they had all returned to his hotel as he was cold and thought Deborah may have gone back for a jumper him. So after a short debate we started walking towards his hotel. But then he made the comment about being lost in the desert and that perhaps we should just stay put. I then did a little reconnaissance of the square in front of the cathedral but still no sign of them.
With my overactive imagination and the sudden sound of an ambulance siren I quickly came to the conclusion that it was Mum's turn to have a cardiac infarction! I imagined that I had pushed her too far in the walking stakes and that our holiday was now well and truly over.
However, next I see Deborah walking down the street towards Bob and we were all reunited again! The day was saved!
The Mater/Mum/Margot will write about our battlefields tour in the next post.
Bonjour mes amies. G'day folks.
Apropos to the previous post, our car troubles increase when the following morning (Friday) our hotel desk manager advises that as hard as they may have tried the only way to swap our hybrid car is to return it to the hire car company at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Yes, brilliant idea. But how do we do that if we can't turn the damned car on!
As we were scheduled to participate in a battlefields tour from 9am to 6.30pm on Friday, the hotel desk manager (or perhaps I should say managers as our car problems seem to have resulted in the hotel creating a Project Management team to resolve our issue!) advised that we should take the tour anyway and they would try to sort out the issue of swapping the car over in Amiens as it was quite impossible for us to return the car to Paris if we couldn't turn on the wretched thing.
So we trotted off for a 20 minute walk to the Amiens train station where we were met by Barbara Legrand of True Blue Digger Tours (corny, I know, but said with a French accent one can get away with it). Also participating in the tour were two Australian Judges by the name of Bob and Deborah who were the most delightful tour companions.
What The Mater and I were not aware of when we met our tour companions is that they are both hybrid car aficionados. Yes, people, Bob and Deborah drive hybrid cars at home!
After an hour or so when the topic of transport arose whilst comparing travelling notes, we mentioned our little dilemma and Bob's and Deborah's faces lit up! "Oh they're the easiest cars to drive" said Bob who promptly offered to give me a lesson in starting up our pesky little vehicle.
At this point we were having a tour of the Amiens Cathedral (the largest and most spectacular in France) which just happened to be a hop skip and a jump (not a 1500m Olympic walk) away from our hotel and the car park where the hybrid was lying low. So Bob suggested we go then and there to sort out our vehicular issues and within no time I had mastered the art of turning on the car and actually driving it.
What a fortuitous encounter! Thank you Angel Bob!
All the while the tour guide, losing valuable tour time, and Mum and Deborah had returned to the tour van whilst awaiting Bob's and my return. However, we didn't know where the van was parked and so Bob and I simply returned to the street corner where we had last left the trio. We waited and waited and waited. And no sign of Margot, Deborah or Barbara. Bob then thought that perhaps they had all returned to his hotel as he was cold and thought Deborah may have gone back for a jumper him. So after a short debate we started walking towards his hotel. But then he made the comment about being lost in the desert and that perhaps we should just stay put. I then did a little reconnaissance of the square in front of the cathedral but still no sign of them.
With my overactive imagination and the sudden sound of an ambulance siren I quickly came to the conclusion that it was Mum's turn to have a cardiac infarction! I imagined that I had pushed her too far in the walking stakes and that our holiday was now well and truly over.
However, next I see Deborah walking down the street towards Bob and we were all reunited again! The day was saved!
The Mater/Mum/Margot will write about our battlefields tour in the next post.
Day 2: Hybrid cars, round-a-bouts and Grease Monkeys
Catherine says:
Mum/Margot and I have just finished a late le table du matin. Which is just a fancier way of saying le petit dejeuner. Or breakfast. Or brekkie. Ooh la la.
We are having a lazy day today and the blog posts are going to roll on fast and thick. So here goes.
When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport we picked up a hire car which we will use for the entirety of our DIY trip. After all, we are travellers, not tourists which makes me think that perhaps we're full of Pikey blood.
So, about this hire car. The hire car company provides us with a hybrid car. Fine we think. In fact, we didn't even think. We didn't even give this hybrid hire car a second thought. And we should have because hybrid cars have a very particular way of being started. They're somewhat unique. However, the hire car company didn’t really explain this very well; instead they started the car for us. We smiled and I drove off. Yes people, emphasis on the word "I".
The Mater (or the Smoother Moother or Smother Mother... all three pet names I have for my beloved mother) and I (her pet name for me is Dafter Daughter... get it, daughter, slaughter, laughter, draught etc. oh we do love our word games!) decided I would drive. I took a little test run around the hire car car park and once I felt comfortable we headed off to face a barrage of round-a-bouts and the 120km drive north to Amiens.
If I must say (and The Mater will agree) I did quite a spectacular job of driving on the wrong side of the road and navigating my way around about 15 round-a-bouts (they circle them in the opposite direction to us) within 15 minutes as we escaped the labyrinthine mess of Parisian roads.
Yes, damned if I was going to do an Uncle Bryan and write-off the car during my first encounter with a French round-a-bout! (Sorry Uncle B - we know your talents lie in more important arenas like, but not limited to, literature and book collecting, both of which I hold in high regard and have oft been a beneficiary of this passion of yours!). So I was pretty chuffed that it took 15 round-a-bouts to get out of Paris and I didn’t end up on the front page of Le Monde!
Anyhow, all went well until we arrived in Amiens, turned off the car, removed our luggage took it in to the hotel and then returned the car to move it and park it in a nearby long term car park. I couldn’t start the damn bloody car. No matter what gear change configurations or manoeuvrings I performed the bloody thing wouldn’t go forward. Mum and I sat in the car for ages as I just revved the motor on the spot, getting more and more frustrated. In the end I gave up and we went back into the hotel and rang for auto-assistance and spoke to a very nice man who spoke English and didn't laugh at me when I said "Je m'appelle Catherine. Pardonnez-moi. Je ne parle pas français. Je suis Australienne." (We have been told that we must always emphasise that we are Australian as the French tell us they have more tolerance of non-French speaking Australians than what they do non-French speaking English and Americans). I explained the problem to the lovely customer service officer and so he sent out a mechanic (just like RACV).
The mechanic rolls up 45 minutes later covered in grease (I mean, what did I expect? Just because he’s a French mechanic he would roll up in Yves St Laurent with perfectly manicured grease-free fingernails?) and Stephanie, one of the English speaking hotel desk managers, and I accompany him to the dodgy vehicle. Stephanie translates but Grease Monkey insists on talking in French to me, very fast and very loud with the expectation that I would understand everything he said (this was reminiscent of the time years ago when The Mater took over management of a Scandinavian student exchange program and insisted on talking loudly and slowly to our little norse visitors due to the belief that loud and slow made everything easier to understand!) . At this point – with Mum upstairs in the hotel room – my internal Rosetta Stone started working overtime and crashed and all I could think to say was “oui, si, sim, ja... nei, nej, no, non, jeg ikke entender uma palavra meu signor”. Lucky I didn’t spew out a “konichiwa”, a la Alabarondi (aka Dad, Pop, Popsicle, The Pater - another story for another time people). Then Grease Monkey starts wildly and rapidly gesticulating about how to drive the car all the while telling Stephanie that the hire car company were trés stupid to even contemplate allowing a non-French non-hybrid-vehicle-accustomed customer to rent a hybrid vehicle. He tells Stephanie that she will have to ring the hire car company on our behalf and arrange for a swap. Stephanie agrees and then asks Grease Monkey if he would be so kind as to drive the car to the permanent car parking lot which he does all the while continuing to talk to me in rapid fire French and waving his hands about. After parking the car he does a 1500m walk faster than either I or Persa Scagliarini (my primary school athletic rival) could ever manage and I nearly have a cardiac infarction trying to keep up with a mechanic who could double as an Olympic walker... or perhaps head the Jamaican bob sled team. (Go John Candy).
When I return to the hotel I explain all this to The Mater and we have a discussion with the hotel desk managers who kill it in the customer service stakes and assure us that they will have the issue of the car swap sorted in no time.
Or so we thought.
Mum/Margot and I have just finished a late le table du matin. Which is just a fancier way of saying le petit dejeuner. Or breakfast. Or brekkie. Ooh la la.
We are having a lazy day today and the blog posts are going to roll on fast and thick. So here goes.
When we arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport we picked up a hire car which we will use for the entirety of our DIY trip. After all, we are travellers, not tourists which makes me think that perhaps we're full of Pikey blood.
So, about this hire car. The hire car company provides us with a hybrid car. Fine we think. In fact, we didn't even think. We didn't even give this hybrid hire car a second thought. And we should have because hybrid cars have a very particular way of being started. They're somewhat unique. However, the hire car company didn’t really explain this very well; instead they started the car for us. We smiled and I drove off. Yes people, emphasis on the word "I".
The Mater (or the Smoother Moother or Smother Mother... all three pet names I have for my beloved mother) and I (her pet name for me is Dafter Daughter... get it, daughter, slaughter, laughter, draught etc. oh we do love our word games!) decided I would drive. I took a little test run around the hire car car park and once I felt comfortable we headed off to face a barrage of round-a-bouts and the 120km drive north to Amiens.
If I must say (and The Mater will agree) I did quite a spectacular job of driving on the wrong side of the road and navigating my way around about 15 round-a-bouts (they circle them in the opposite direction to us) within 15 minutes as we escaped the labyrinthine mess of Parisian roads.
Yes, damned if I was going to do an Uncle Bryan and write-off the car during my first encounter with a French round-a-bout! (Sorry Uncle B - we know your talents lie in more important arenas like, but not limited to, literature and book collecting, both of which I hold in high regard and have oft been a beneficiary of this passion of yours!). So I was pretty chuffed that it took 15 round-a-bouts to get out of Paris and I didn’t end up on the front page of Le Monde!
Anyhow, all went well until we arrived in Amiens, turned off the car, removed our luggage took it in to the hotel and then returned the car to move it and park it in a nearby long term car park. I couldn’t start the damn bloody car. No matter what gear change configurations or manoeuvrings I performed the bloody thing wouldn’t go forward. Mum and I sat in the car for ages as I just revved the motor on the spot, getting more and more frustrated. In the end I gave up and we went back into the hotel and rang for auto-assistance and spoke to a very nice man who spoke English and didn't laugh at me when I said "Je m'appelle Catherine. Pardonnez-moi. Je ne parle pas français. Je suis Australienne." (We have been told that we must always emphasise that we are Australian as the French tell us they have more tolerance of non-French speaking Australians than what they do non-French speaking English and Americans). I explained the problem to the lovely customer service officer and so he sent out a mechanic (just like RACV).
The mechanic rolls up 45 minutes later covered in grease (I mean, what did I expect? Just because he’s a French mechanic he would roll up in Yves St Laurent with perfectly manicured grease-free fingernails?) and Stephanie, one of the English speaking hotel desk managers, and I accompany him to the dodgy vehicle. Stephanie translates but Grease Monkey insists on talking in French to me, very fast and very loud with the expectation that I would understand everything he said (this was reminiscent of the time years ago when The Mater took over management of a Scandinavian student exchange program and insisted on talking loudly and slowly to our little norse visitors due to the belief that loud and slow made everything easier to understand!) . At this point – with Mum upstairs in the hotel room – my internal Rosetta Stone started working overtime and crashed and all I could think to say was “oui, si, sim, ja... nei, nej, no, non, jeg ikke entender uma palavra meu signor”. Lucky I didn’t spew out a “konichiwa”, a la Alabarondi (aka Dad, Pop, Popsicle, The Pater - another story for another time people). Then Grease Monkey starts wildly and rapidly gesticulating about how to drive the car all the while telling Stephanie that the hire car company were trés stupid to even contemplate allowing a non-French non-hybrid-vehicle-accustomed customer to rent a hybrid vehicle. He tells Stephanie that she will have to ring the hire car company on our behalf and arrange for a swap. Stephanie agrees and then asks Grease Monkey if he would be so kind as to drive the car to the permanent car parking lot which he does all the while continuing to talk to me in rapid fire French and waving his hands about. After parking the car he does a 1500m walk faster than either I or Persa Scagliarini (my primary school athletic rival) could ever manage and I nearly have a cardiac infarction trying to keep up with a mechanic who could double as an Olympic walker... or perhaps head the Jamaican bob sled team. (Go John Candy).
When I return to the hotel I explain all this to The Mater and we have a discussion with the hotel desk managers who kill it in the customer service stakes and assure us that they will have the issue of the car swap sorted in no time.
Or so we thought.
Day 2: We have arrived
Catherine says:
Apologies for the blogging hiatus. We've just been having too much fun. On a scale of 1 to 10, one meaning zero fun levels and ten meaning totally off the richter scale fun, we're currently rating at about a 22.5.
We have lots of funny stories to tell (and we've only been here a couple of days) involving hybrid cars, French round-a-bouts, driving on the wrong side of the road and grease monkeys and also the more sombre variety from the battlefields.
However, we shall not be able to regale you with these tales until we can find a little down time from having fun (as I type this it is currently 6am Saturday morning, Margot is still asleep and I am only managing to bash out these few lines whilst holing myself up in the bathroom so she can't hear my fingers sweep across the laptop keyboard!).
Please stay tuned as we have a tome of tales ready to upload!
Apologies for the blogging hiatus. We've just been having too much fun. On a scale of 1 to 10, one meaning zero fun levels and ten meaning totally off the richter scale fun, we're currently rating at about a 22.5.
We have lots of funny stories to tell (and we've only been here a couple of days) involving hybrid cars, French round-a-bouts, driving on the wrong side of the road and grease monkeys and also the more sombre variety from the battlefields.
However, we shall not be able to regale you with these tales until we can find a little down time from having fun (as I type this it is currently 6am Saturday morning, Margot is still asleep and I am only managing to bash out these few lines whilst holing myself up in the bathroom so she can't hear my fingers sweep across the laptop keyboard!).
Please stay tuned as we have a tome of tales ready to upload!
Friday, 23 May 2014
Day 1: Flander poppies
Flanders poppies abound in this region. They grow on the sides of the roads, paper ones adorn all the graves and this one, crocheted by some loving hand, was spotted inside Amiens Cathedral.
Day 1: A room with a view
France's largest cathedral is situated a mere 100km from our hotel and we have a clear view from our window.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)